Lesson40 Food and talk 进餐与交谈

课文

Last week at a dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs. Rumbold. Mrs. Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress. She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her. Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, she was busy eating. I tried to make conversation.
' A new play is coming to" The Globe" soon,' I said. 'Will you be seeing it ?'
' No,' she answered.
'Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year ?' I asked.
' No,' she answered.
' Will you be staying in England?' I asked.
' No,' she answered.
In despair, I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner.
' Young man,' she answered,' if you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner !'

hostess

1. n. 女主人
   host：东道主，主办方
   host country：主办国
2. n. 女主持人
   a talk show hostess
   Oprah is a very famous talk show hostess.

unsmiling
adj. 不笑的
un-：否定，相反

tight

1. adj. 紧身的
   tight jeans：紧身牛仔裤
2. adj.（钱）短缺的
   money is tight
   反义词：loose adj. 松的

fix
v. 使 … 固定，牢固
fix one's eyes / attention / mind on sth.：
凝视 / 注意力集中在 …
fixed：adj. 固定的
fixed times, price, amounts …
fix & mend
mend：多强调于缝补
fix：一般指修理

globe

1. n. 地球
2. n. 地球仪
   the globe：地球，世界
   global：adj. 全球的；世界的
   global warming：全球气候变暖

despair
v. 绝望
in despair
despair of doing sth. / sth.
I despaired of arriving at the village before dawn.

课文讲解

Last week at a dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs Rumbold.

at a party
ask sb. to do sth.
next to
Mr.：先生
Mrs. /misiz/：夫人，太太（已婚）
Ms. /miz/：女士（婚姻状况不明）
Miss /mis/：小姐（未婚）

Mrs. Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress.

I sometimes despair over my body … the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt.
wrinkle：皱纹
baggy：袋状的，松垂的
sag：下陷，松弛
butt：屁股

描绘性形容词的词序
... a large round wooden table...
大小 - 形状 - 新旧 - 颜色 - 国籍产地 - 质地材料 + 中心名词
ssa.com：size, shape, age, color, origin, material
一张又大又漂亮的红色的旧的木头椅子
a beautiful big old red wooden chair

She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her.

look up to sb.：仰慕尊敬某人
look down to sb.：看不起某人
look up & look for
look up：查阅查找信息
look for：寻找（丢失的，想要的）
take one's seat：sit down.

Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, she was busy eating.

her eyes were fixed on …
be busy doing sth.：忙于做某事

I tried to make conversation.

try to do：尽力做 ...
try doing：尝试做 ...
make conversation 建立交流
make the bed：整理床铺；铺床
make lunch：做午饭
make a noise：发出噪声
make a plan：制作计划
make a joke：开玩笑
make a mistake：犯错
make a difference to：引起变化（促进改进）
make time：抽出时间
make trouble / a mess：惹麻烦，弄乱弄脏
make progress：进步
make money：挣钱
make a speech：演讲
make up one's mind：决定

Will you be seeing it?
Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?
Will you be staying in England?

will you be doing- 询问计划或打算，更礼貌委婉

' if you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner !'

if 引导的条件句（conditional）

1. →真实条件句
   If you park your car in the wrong place, a traffic policeman will soon find it.
   从句一般现在时，主句一般将来时

2. →非真实条件句（虚拟条件句）：过去，现在，将来
   将来：从句 - were to do / should do, 主句 - would do（说话人认为不太可能发生的事情）
   现在：从句 - did / were, 主句 - would do（与现在事实相反的假设）
   过去：从句 - had done, 主句 - would have done（与过去事实相反的假设）
   对现在虚拟
   if I were a boy,I think I could understand how it feels to love a girl,I swear I would be a better man …

在虚拟条件状语从句中如果有were，should，had这三个词，通常将if省略，谓语提前变成were，should，had+主语的形式，在虚拟条件状语从句中，省略连词的倒装形式不能用动词的缩略形式，我们可以说were I not to do，不能说weren't I to do

作文

She not only refused to answer any questions but she did not ask any either.
She was interested neither in the theatre nor in travel.
She liked eating good food but (she) did not like talking about it.

I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
-------Helen Keller Three Days to See